Interlude
by Chikiko
Summary: 60 years after the events of Provenance, Ron remembers his friends. Kigo-ish


Warnings: This story is part of my previous Kigo story called Provenance. If you are offended by Femslash fiction or Yuri/Shoujo-Ai please do not read this!

A/N: As stated above this is the second story set in the Provenance series. This was meant to be a one-shot story, but due to stylistic changes, it will end up being a multi chapter series.

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and it's characters belong to Disney.

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It was still early morning when Ron finished his daily workouts. Stepping out of the shower, he wasn't surprised to see the bed had already been made. Yori was very particular about how she wanted the bed made, so she would do it once she finished her own morning routine. Which incidentally doubled as his wake up call. He was sure that despite their now long standing tradition of waking early to train, he would go back to sleeping in like he used to, if were to so much as take a day off. Moving to the closet, he selected a nice set of cloths. Nothing fancy or dressy, but still something a step or two above his usual comfort wear. Today was after all a special day. His wife, who was more then likely waiting for him at the breakfast table, always insisted he dress nice for these occasions. Not that he ever understood why, but he'd learned long ago that it was just easier to go along with it.

As expected, Yori had already set the table with the food he'd made prior to workout routine. Looking at her sitting, her silvered hair somewhat moist from her shower, he couldn't understand why many people said that beauty faded once you were married. If anything she was more beautiful now than when they got married all those years go. "Breakfast is served." He said with a seductive growl as he stopped to place several kisses on her neck.

Turning toward him, she gave him a kiss. "Your humor is still one of your best qualities Anata. Can you get the tea the water should be ready any time now."

Before Ron had the chance to saying anything he was interrupted by a whistling tea pot. "Yes, master sensei, as you wish." Ron quickly moved out of way of the playfully thrown spoon. Grabbing the kettle and a new spoon, Ron placed them down on the table and carefully lifted the food cover off their plates. As was usual in the Stoppable household, meals times were always something interesting. Today, it was miso soup, pancakes, matzo, and rice.

Yori looked over all the food, long ago used to her husbands eclectic meals. "Why so much? Are the children coming early? I thought they wouldn't be here until this afternoon."

Ron shook his head. "Akito called while I was making breakfast. He said he was picking up his kids from the station before heading over."

Yori nodded her head once, it would probably be at least a couple of hours before Akito's family arrived. "What about the others, will any of them be coming to breakfast?"

"Besides Sayuri?" Ron asked, knowing that their only daughter would unfailingly show up soon for breakfast.

"Anata," she sighed as she used the Japanese term of endearment she used to for him, "why do you continue to indulge her? She's no longer a child."

"I know she isn't. But with all their kids gone, it's just her and Kerry now. Besides, you know that Kerry is always in too much of a hurry to sit down and eat. So she may as well just come over and have breakfast with us. Besides," Ron suddenly smirked deeply, "as her father, it is my honor to cook for her."

Yori gave him a pointed look that let him know she was less than amused. As always, he took a great deal of pleasure in using the "it is my honor" line on her. Smiling warmly at her, Ron answer her original question. "I doubt anyone will be here till at least noon. I know Cassandra's flight won't be arrive until two and you know bad traffic is from the lunar spaceport. I'm not sure what time Bryce arrives, but after picking up both him and Cassandra, I doubt Akito will make it here until mid to late afternoon. As for your earlier question, Sayuri mentioned that Kerry took the day off today to help ferry people back and forth. So I figured I'd make extra for Sayuri to take back home."

"Thanks dad, I'm sure Kerry will appreciate a home cooked breakfast for once." Sayuri said, entering the house. Ron couldn't help smiling as he looked at his daughter. She was both their middle child and his only daughter. She was a beautiful woman, inheriting a lot of her mother's Asian features. About the only the only physical feature she got from him were his freckles and his smile. Personality, however, was an entirely different story. She was after all daddy's little girl, even if she was currently fifty four years old.

Ron began setting a place for her, as she went to greet them with a hug and kiss. "So, guess what?" Sayuri excitedly asked as she began eating in the enthusiastic way that everyone said was so like him.

"Seeing how excited you are, my first guess would have been that you passed the eighteenth level of that game your playing. However, since you are having us guess and not gloating to your father, I am guessing that is not it."

"Please mom. When I pass the eighteenth level of Conundrum's Maze, you'll be hearing my screams all the way from my house."

Yori laughed. "Honey, you only live a block away. And considering how loud you get when you play those games, it is surprising that the entire subdivision is not aware of your progress. If I listen enough, I could probably track your progress by your screams alone. Then I again, my hearing may not be what it used to be."

Sayuri rolled her eyes. "Oh ya right. You can hear a needle dropping on the upstairs carpet from outside. They didn't make you master sensei of the Yamanochi for nothing. But back to the original question, the game doesn't have to do with why I'm excited. You'll actually be really excited to hear the news. Feel free to take a guess too dad."

"My guess was Conundrum's Maze too." Ron answered with a shrug.

"Did your editor or publisher call? Are you ready to go to press?" Yori said, sounding hopeful.

Sayuri frowned. "No, not yet. Hopefully soon though. But think about this carefully, I wasn't here for dad's homemade naco night. That right there should tell you it's HUGE news!"

Shaking her head, Ron said, "I'm sorry honey, your mother and I just aren't sure. So tell us what was so big that you skip naco night?"

Sayuri looked about suspiciously, as if making sure that no one was around to overhear. "Well, Jeanette called last night just as me and Kerry were about to come over." She paused to add dramatic effect. "She's pregnant!"

"She's pregnant?!" Yori said, as she moved to hug Sayuri. "That's great!"

"Looks like your going to be grandmother again." Ron said, as he hugged her as well.

"But, why didn't you come tell us last night?" Yori asked with a pout on her face.

"I wanted to." She said, also pouting. "But Jeanette said she wanted to make the big announcement today once we're all together."

"She's gonna be mad at you!" Ron warned her in a teasing voice.

"You'd think my own daughter should know me better than that! I'd have run here and told you last night, but Kerry insisted we wait until she made the announcement."

Yori covered her mouth to try and stifle a laugh. "She must take after you then. Your father reached that eighteenth level a week ago. I believe he's already halfway through with it."

"Yori!" He said, scandalized that his own wife would rat him out.

"Now who is in trouble?" Yori said, allowing her laughter to come out.

Ron smiled nervously at his daughter who was giving him a fierce glance. "You're halfway done and haven't told me yet?"

Putting his hands up in a placating manner, Ron tried to calm his sometimes overly excitable daughter. "I was going to tell you."

"Oh ya, I'm sure you were, once you reached the fire level. Don't think I'm not wise to your tricks. Your ninja buffoonery skills won't work on me twice. You're going down Stoppable. A monkey/ninja master I am not, but when it comes to the art of video game jitsu there are few who can compete with the Sayuri."

"Well not to burst your bubble, but I am a monkey master and I got to where I am faster than you did."

"Because you heard me talking about it!"

Yori shook her head with an amused smile as she reached across the table and held Sayuri's hand. "You are so much like your father. Although, I wish I could have said that you reminded me of how he used to when he was young, but he is obviously still the same."

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Father and child both said at the same time.

Yori laughed yet again, as she picked up her dishes and headed toward the sink. "No, it's definitely a good thing." She said, giving them both a kiss as she she walked by them. "Anyway, I need to get going on. I have that directors meeting. I am probably going to be a bit late. These meetings always tend to run on forever."

"Bye Dear. I'll see you later." Ron said, giving her a rather passionate kiss.

Sayuri, 57 year old mother of three and best selling author, made gagging faces at them. Yori, of course bopped her on the head and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Mom."

Yori waved at them as she picked up her lunch and headed out the door. "Can you believe the number of meetings she has to go to?"

"Well that's what happens when you run a branch campus of a ninja school." she said with a shrug. "So anyway, what are you gonna do till we all meet up later?"

Ron shrugged. "I was actually thinking about going by the house and do some cleaning" There was no need to say which house he was going to clean. They both knew he wasn't talking about the house they were in currently. Although it took him three years before he was able to return to the house, he now faithfully made sure that Shego's house was well maintained. Not only was it a way to honor her memory, but it was also best not to take any chances. After all the first time he visited her house, she threatened him with grave bodily harm if he made a mess. He didn't want to imagine what she might do to him from beyond the grave if he let her house get rundown. Getting bathed in plasma fire might very well be an act of mercy to a friend. Not that he really believed in ghosts or anything. But he'd seen enough weird stuff in his life and angry ghost Shego was not something he wanted to risk.

"Well get to it then, I don't want any scary ass ghost haunting me because you couldn't keep her house clean. Just try not to stay their too long. The last thing we need is for you get get all nostalgic again. I mean we've all heard about the time I pushed Ryujin into that piranha filled moat or when Akito got lost when we went to Disney land in Tokyo."

"Ya, ya. Take away a poor old man's joy." Standing up, he gave his daughter a kiss and headed for the door. "Make sure you clean the dishes well today, you know we're going to have a bus load of people here. We're gonna have enough excitement between Cassandra's four and Sakura's three."

"Well I can see how Cassandra's kid's could be problematic, she is Akito's daughter. However, my grandkids are sweet little angels."

Laughing, he said. "Ya until you put them in the same room with their all their cousins. Then they all become little terrors with boundless energy. I still have nightmares from the family get together with Jim,Tim, and Hana's families! Anyway, make sure you lock up when you leave. I'll see you later."

Cleaning up was their compromise with Yori. He cooked for Sayuri and in return she would cleaned up. It wasn't that Yori didn't like having her around, quite the opposite. He knew that Yori would have given just about anything to have the same relationship with her own parents as they had with Sayuri. But at the same time, she didn't think that it was proper for a fifty four year old woman, who could cook as well as Sayuri, to rely on her eighty three year old father to cook for her.

As usual, he walked to Shego's house. He may have been old, but he was still in good shape and her house wasn't all that far away. He remembered the first time Kim had brought him here. There was no way anyone would have ever guessed that the house they went to was Shego's house. He could recall with perfectly clarity staring dumbfounded at the house. Firstly it didn't have the expected black and green motif; at least not externally. Instead it was a large red brick ranch style home surrounded by a high white picket fence. He was especially surprised to see the large sunflowers growing in her yard. Various flowers lined the pathway from the gate to steps. It was an idyllic dream home the kind you settle down in to raise a family. It was as unshego as he could have possibly imagined.

Once you entered the house however, the style and presence that were Shego manifested. Plush black carpeting, green leather furniture, stylish interior designing, and expensive appliances. It took him a long time to reconcile the disparity between inside and outside. He remembered checking to see if he stepped through some kind of teleportation device for months.

As he approached the house, his thoughts were interrupted by the most beautiful singing he'd ever heard. The singer didn't seem to be singing loudly, yet he could hear her quite clearly. He wasn't sure what language she was singing in, but it was soft and soothing. Ironically, it also seemed to be coming from within Shego's yard. He'd just reached the gate when the singer transitioned into another song. Ron suddenly found himself frozen in place. The new song was sung just as beautifully as the previous one, but this song he familiar with. The melody was so ingrained into his memory that even though it was over sixty six years since he'd last heard it, he recognized immediately. Tears filled his eyes. He'd only known one person who knew the song that was being sung, and that was the owner of this house: Shego.

He knew it wasn't her or her ghost. He'd heard Shego sing this song may times, and he remembered her signing voice this wasn't it. Still despite knowing it wasn't Shego, he didn't move; he hardly breathed. He wanted to hear the song in it's entirety and he was afraid that if the singer realized he was there, she might stop. So he stood there and basked in the song and the memories it brought.


End file.
